Goodbye, Windows: Another Government Plans En-Masse Transition to Linux Search... Windows 7 will be replaced with Linux on government devices

The South Korean government is looking into an en-masse migration from Windows 7 to Linux, and according to local reports, the officials are eyeing the adoption of three different operating systems across various agencies.

Windows 7 reached the end of support on January 14 this year, and now the government wants to avoid upgrading to Windows 10 in order to cut licensing costs, but also to reduce reliance on Microsoft.

One report indicates that the strategy is to complete the migration to Linux by 2026, at which point Linux should be powering devices that are used for Internet access. If Windows continues to power any computers, they must be used for intranet services, meaning they would be isolated from the rest of the network where access from the outside is available.

The Korean Postal Service will move from Windows 7 to TMaxOS, a Linux-based operating system powered by South Korean software company TmaxSoft. This technically provides the government with more control given the software powering their devices is developed by a domestic firm.

Windows 10 appears to be a no-no

Other government departments have already moved part of their fleets to Linux and are working on plans to expand the adoption to more devices.

The Ministry of National Defense and National Police Agency, for example, currently runs Harmonica OS 3.0, which is customized with a series of Korean applications, while the Ministry of Public Administration and Security installed the locally-developed Gooroom Cloud OS based on Debian.

Local officials expect to save millions of dollars by simply eliminating licensing costs, although history has shown that investing in staff training and professional support could generate more expenses in the short term.

For Microsoft, on the other hand, losing such a high-profile customer is certainly bad news, especially as the company insists for Windows 7 devices to be upgraded to Windows 10. There’s a good chance, however, that Microsoft is already in talks with the South Korean government, so we really shouldn’t be too surprised in the transition to Linux is eventually abandoned if an agreement between the two is reached.

source: https://news.softpedia.com/news/goodbye-windows-another-government-plans-en-masse-transition-to-linux-529150.shtml